2023 Fall Convocation [SERIES]

Details

Start:
October 16
End:
October 18
Series:
2023 Fall Convocation [SERIES]
Event Categories:
, ,
Event Tags:
Fall Convo Event(1000 × 563 px)

Organizer:

NC Synod

Event Cost:

$

 

Event Description

This year’s Fall Convocation is happening at Lutheridge, Monday, October 16, through Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Luke A. Powery, the dean of Duke University Chapel and professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School. All rostered ministers and other professional congregation ministry staff are welcome to attend (musicians, youth & family, administrators, etc.) for inspiration, rejuvenation, and fellowship.

Note: Fall Convocation daily scheduled events, keynote speeches, and workshops are designed and intended for rostered ministers, church professionals, and assigned SAMs (Synod Authorized Ministers). All others registered are welcome as visitors and invited to participate in worship, meals, and fellowship times as Lutheridge policies allow.

The registration link is below; registration closes on October 2. Scroll for more details.

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See Fall Convo Details Here.

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Registration is open!

Convo begins with lunch on Monday and ends with lunch on Wednesday.

The daily schedule has been redesigned to allow smooth transitions, more rest and fellowship, and be welcoming to all participants in matters of inclusion, diversity, and equity—and friendly to families and children. The workshops are designed to explore and address current ministry challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as church and society dynamics.

Scroll to see the schedule, workshop options, and more.

Click Here to Register; Register by October 2.

Welcome to Fall Convocation!

The 2023 NC Synod Fall Convocation for rostered ministers, church professionals, and assigned SAMs will be a gathering place to be inspired, learn, worship, rest, and have fellowship.

Synod staff, partner organizations, and Bishop Timothy Smith will be present to listen to you and share information regarding synod resources for our ministry together.

We look forward to seeing you at Lutheridge!

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Introducing Keynote Speaker the Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery

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This year's convo keynoter is the Dean of Duke University Chapel and Professor of Homiletics and African and African American Studies. He holds faculty appointments in Duke’s Divinity School and the Department of African and African American Studies in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. A national leader in the theological study of the art of preaching (homiletics), Dean Powery regularly delivers sermons at Duke Chapel as well as churches throughout the United States. His book, Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race, received the 2023 Book of the Year from the Academy of Parish Clergy.

Dr. Powery will walk with us sharing insights, life experiences, and fresh knowledge associated with homiletics, as well as the role of the Holy Spirit in our becoming human and in the context of the rhetoric of race.

Fall Convocation Preachers

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The Rev. Dr. Alfredo M. Oviedo, Assistant to the Bishop

Opening Worship Service

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The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery

Closing Worship Service

Schedule
Workshops
Evening Fellowship
Inspiration & Sabbath Time

2023 Fall Convo Schedule

Monday, October 16:

10:30 a.m.         Registration Opens

12:30 p.m.         LUNCH

1:30 p.m.         Opening Worship w/Communion @ Chapel (Assistant to the Bishop Preaching)

2:30 p.m.          Break & Snacks

2:45 p.m.          Welcome & Icebreakers (Jonathan Conrad)

3:00 p.m.         Keynote 1

4:00 p.m.         Break & Snacks

4:15 p.m.         Workshop 1

6:00 p.m.         DINNER

7:30 p.m.         Fellowship

Tuesday, October 17:

7:30 a.m.           Yoga at the Lake

8:30 a.m.           BREAKFAST

9:15 a.m.          Morning Matins

9:30 a.m.          Keynote 2

10:30 a.m.         Break & Snacks

10:45 a.m.         Workshop 2

12:00 p.m.         Time with Assistants to the Bishop

12:30 p.m.         LUNCH

Afternoon         Sabbath

DINNER on your own

7:30 p.m.          Trivia Night with Prizes

Wednesday, October 18:

8:30 a.m.          BREAKFAST

9:15 a.m.          Closing Worship w/Communion @ Chapel (Powery Preaching)

10:15 a.m.        Break & Snacks

10:30 a.m.        Ministry Moment (Lutheran Disaster Response Carolinas)

10:45 a.m.        Ministry Moment (Justice & Advocacy Ministries)

11:00 a.m.        Time with Bishop Smith

12:00 p.m.        Closing and Sending

12:30 p.m.        LUNCH (Buffet & Boxes to Go)

Workshops

Workshop #1—Monday 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.

Movement for a Healthy Body & Brain: Stretches and strengthening for improvement in mobility, balance, focus, and concentration skills! If you can sit in a chair, you can incorporate these ideas in your daily life. Region 9 Deacon Intern D’Etta Brown ~ Faith Center

Trauma-Informed (Healing-Centered) Ministry: We’ll discuss what trauma is, the main principles of trauma-informed community, and roadblocks to trauma-informed communities specific to congregational work. The Rev. Elizabeth Rawlings ~ Mission Hall

The What, Why, and How of Spiritual Direction: We’ll explore the benefits of spiritual direction, how to get started, and what to expect when engaging in a spiritual direction relationship.  The Rev. Pam Northrup ~ Lower Efird  

Worship Planning: TBA ~ Upper Efird

Trenches Ministries & Congregational Vitality: Description forthcoming. The Rev. Pastor Sami Johnson ~ Kohnjoy Conference Room

Workshop #2—Tuesday 10:45 - 11:45 a.m.

Movement for a Healthy Body & Brain: Stretches and strengthening for improvement in mobility, balance, focus, and concentration skills! If you can sit in a chair, you can incorporate these ideas in your daily life. Region 9 Deacon Intern D’Etta Brown ~ Faith Center

Trauma-Informed (Healing-Centered) Ministry: We’ll discuss what trauma is, the main principles of trauma-informed community, and roadblocks to trauma-informed communities specific to congregational work. The Rev. Elizabeth Rawlings ~ Mission Hall

The What, Why, and How of Spiritual Direction: We’ll explore the benefits of spiritual direction, how to get started, and what to expect when engaging in a spiritual direction relationship.  The Rev. Pam Northrup ~ Lower Efird  

“Well, Hello There!”: All newcomers to the synod—and those who still feel like newcomers—are invited to gather for a time of introduction. A goal is to help you begin to build a strong and sustainable support system among colleagues.  The Rev. Jonathan Conrad ~ Upper Efird

Trenches Ministries & Congregational Vitality: Description forthcoming. The Rev. Pastor Sami Johnson ~ Kohnjoy Conference Room

Evening Fellowship Opportunities

Monday night fellowship time begins at 7:30 p.m.

Stay tuned for the location and an additional description.

Tuesday night fellowship time begins at 7:30 p.m. and includes trivia with prizes.

Stay tuned for the location and an additional description.

Inspiration & Sabbath Time

A Note from the Rev. Dr. Alfredo M. Oviedo, Assistant to the Bishop and synod staff liaison to the Fall Convo Planning Team:

Goodreads Google search lists 69,738 inspirational quotes in 30 categories, including faith, religion, and spirituality. Here are some of them:

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
―Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)

The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
―Soren Kierkegaard

None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have faith.
―Paulo Coelho

We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.
―Martin Luther

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
―St. Thomas Aquinas

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.
—St. Augustine of Hippo

Without music, life would be a mistake.
―Friedrich Nietzsche, "Twilight of the Idols"

What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.
―Maya Angelou, "Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now"

But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.
―Martin Luther King, Jr.

La mayor locura que puede hacer un hombre en esta vida es dejarse morir. (The major madness a human can do in this life is to let himself die).
―Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, "Don Quijote de la Mancha I"

Inspiring quotes may lift our spirits in times of crisis—when feeling hopeless—and give us a sense of meaning and direction, but as they are short and many, they are easy to forget.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jesus of Nazareth's teachings include sayings, metaphors, and short stories (e.g., parables), and these continue to inspire the lives of millions of Christians all over the world. Nevertheless, the most inspiring of all is the story of Jesus of Nazareth…the love story of God becoming flesh, death on the cross, and resurrection! Fall Convocation is a gathering of Jesus’ disciples, blessed with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share in fellowship our real-life inspiring stories, worship, learning, and rest. I am looking forward to seeing you at Lutheridge!